NBA Random

[ponchi101]

It will not work.

[patrick]

As usual Butler gets what he wants.

[ponchi101]

Don't they all? You can score 15 points a game in the NBA, you get anything and everything.

[ti-amie]

Breathe on LeBron though...

[ponchi101]

Sometimes there are no fouls.
I was watching an NCAA game yesterday, and one player smashed onto another for a nasty injury. But they were of the same team, so no foul could be called.
it is not as if Steph is not protected by the NBA to the extreme.

[ti-amie]

Sometimes there are no fouls.
I was watching an NCAA game yesterday, and one player smashed onto another for a nasty injury. But they were of the same team, so no foul could be called.
it is not as if Steph is not protected by the NBA to the extreme.

I haven't seen any replays but apparently it could've been called a flagrant.

[ponchi101]

Then, odd that they are not protecting the NBA's 2nd face.

[ti-amie]

Then, odd that they are not protecting the NBA's 2nd face.

I just did a search and for some reason there's no video...

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

This trade should now be in the top five worst trades ever in the NBA.

[ponchi101]

This trade should now be in the top five worst trades ever in the NBA.

For the Mavs, not for the Lakers.
This is what the Mavs GM office has done in the last few years: traded away Jalen Brunson, only to see him become a star for THE KNICKS (read that twice), and now trade Luka.
How do you justify your position?

[ti-amie]

So glad to have been wrong.

[ponchi101]

They are still 9th in the west, and their last 10 games are 6-4.
And nobody was worried about the Warriors free throw percentage.
Still, that Jimmy is good there is no doubt. It was whether this was a good fit.

[ti-amie]

‘Inside the NBA’ crew bids an emotional goodbye to the NBA on TNT
The network’s last NBA broadcast was Saturday night. Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith are taking their show to ESPN.

June 1, 2025 at 11:08 a.m. EDTToday at 11:08 a.m. EDT


Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley (with Jalen Rose in the middle) marked the final “Inside the NBA” broadcast on TNT. (David L. Nemec /NBAE/Getty Images)


By Cindy Boren

The NBA on TNT ended its decades-long run Saturday night, a finale that included the network’s signature “Inside the NBA” show that blended analysis with hilarity, head-spinning observations and basketball banter over its 35 years on the air.

“Inside the NBA” will reappear next year on ESPN. But the show, for Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Shaquille O’Neal, finished its run on TNT after the Indiana Pacers eliminated the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The TNT finale was emotional, with Pacers fans cheering and chanting “TNT! TNT! TNT!” as the foursome did a final live broadcast marked with laughter, tears, f-bombs and a literal mic drop on the outdoor set.

“If I had written the script, the NBA and TNT would be together forever. It’s not going to happen, but while I was disappointed, I was sad, I was not bitter,” Johnson said, choking up a bit, in his sign-off. “We know how business works. Gratitude is the operative word for me.”

Johnson has been the steady hand (well, as steady as any could be) since 1990; Smith came on in 1998, Barkley in 2000 and O’Neal in 2011. Over the years, the show wasn’t just a yukfest; it won 21 Sports Emmys. In 2020, it became the first NBA telecast to be recognized with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Media Award.

But TNT is not part of the NBA’s 11-year agreement with ESPN/ABC, NBCUniversal and Amazon’s Prime Video that tips off next season. TNT’s Kevin Harlan is nearing a deal to be Prime’s No. 2 play-by-play announcer behind Ian Eagle, according to the Athletic, and Eagle already is on board with Amazon. (Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon.)

The future for “Inside the NBA” is certain, with ESPN saying in November that TNT Sports would “continue to independently produce ‘Inside the NBA’ from its Atlanta-based studios” except when it is on the road. The cast and production team will be the same, with ESPN/ABC licensing the show.

O’Neal promised Saturday night that the show wouldn’t lose its freewheeling, unscripted, sometimes-not-ready-for-prime-time vibe. “Even though the name changes, the engine stays the same,” he said. “To that new network we’re coming to, we’re not coming to f--- around. And since it’s the last show, I’ll say it: We’re not coming to f--- around. We’re kicking a--, we’re taking names, we’re taking over.”

That, of course, remains to be seen, so we’ll take a moment to appreciate some of the show’s nutty, head-scratching debates, such as “Which is closer: the West Coast or the moon?” and O’Neal vs. Smith on how to save money on gasoline.

TNT Sports (then known as TBS Sports) first acquired an NBA broadcast package in 1984, and TNT had carried games since the network’s debut in 1988. But with this year’s NBA Finals airing on ABC, everyone involved knew the run could end with Game 6 on Saturday night.

“This has just been a magnificent ride,” Smith said, and Barkley reminisced about how he planned to sign with NBC before switching to TNT. “I just want to say thank you to the NBA,” Barkley said. “Every coach I’ve had, every player I’ve played with, for giving me this magnificent life that I’ve had. I am so lucky and blessed. I’m lucky and blessed. And I want to thank TNT. Even though we’ll never say TNT Sports again, I want to thank TNT for giving me a magnificent life.”

It was left to Johnson to do the sign-off. “I’m proud to say for the last time: Thanks for watching us. It’s the NBA on TNT.” He and Barkley placed their mics on the desk, and O’Neal and Smith dropped theirs as they rose to hug one another and walk off the set.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2 ... nt-ending/

Video at the link.

[ti-amie]

They're the best. Somehow I think that ESPN will mess with the successful formula of in depth analysis and shenanigans.